Better sharpening

K

Kyle_4

Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Messages
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I am getting more into sharpening and I am thinking about buying the sharpmaker 204MF. Does this kit come with everything I need? Is there anything else I should be buying?

Thanks
 
I started sharpening my own knives about 6 months ago and bought the SM thinking this would suit my needs. It is a really good system for maintaining sharpness but it didn't take long to realize that to reach that next level you will need the UF stones and finish up with stropping, which is another topic altogether. If you want to re-profile blades that are really bad you will need to use more aggressive stones than what the spyderco system can do in a timely fashion. I am thinking of getting some silica carbide thin stones from congress stones and rubber banding them to the SM stones and trying some re-profiling that way before I go to another guided system that will allow you to go more aggressive in a short amount of time.

Read this forum all you can, these guys on here know there stuff when it comes to sharpening. Good luck.
 
You can go about this a couple of ways. You can get the diamond rods for the SM, and they will cut quite well. This allows you to hit the apex at 30 degrees. Or, you can get you a coarse stone, I reccomend a DMT 8'' diamond, and profile that way, then finish up on the SM. Both ways will work, and will give you the results you need. All that will be left after that, is stropping, and that is a whole ballgame of it's own. I will tell you, that stropping is just as imprtant as stone work, if you are looking for a truly refined edge, that will exceed your expectations.
 
If I had to do it over I would get the wicked edge. I just bought the sm and have been really trying to get a razor edge on my crusader forge metro tactical. I have been unable to do that , not sure why though? It gets the 154 blades sharp but not the s30v?
 
I bought the 204 set...it sounds like it will do softer steels for sure but most of my blades are s30v steel. Will this still work?
 
I have the Spyderco benchstones, they work fine to maintain an edge on all my knives. If you need to remove alot of metal, diamonds work very well. I use a DMT x course and xx course, they work very well.

Cheers
 
Well I did sharpen softer steels and it kickassed really well. I tried my s30v and no luck yet so I did the sharpie marker and it looks like I'm not hitting the true blade edge but the are right above the edge on both sides wear the black is rubbing off. So I will again try and figure this out and report back.
 
jagman13- you are right (IMHO) that you would have been better off with the Wicked Edge. I used to use the Sharpmaker and experienced the same troubles as you are now- the knife does often not match the SM. I usually use the Edge Pro over the WE (quicker to set up), but I haven't used my SM in a long, long time. If you throw your SM in the trash, another option that's quicker is the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition. I haven't completely learned the ins and outs of mine but it has tremendous potential.

Good sharpening,
Dave
 
There is nothing wrong with the SM. I use it on my s30v native and get a hair popping edge on it. But you definitely need a coarse setup to get to the Apex of the edge. I use an old school Delta wet sharpening wheel for drastic bevel resets. I also use a lansky diamond crock stick turnbox for stock removal. Once you get the bevel where you want it, the sharpmaker works perfectly
 
The Sharpmaker is a great system as long as you realize that like any other sharpener it does have limitations. IMO its best for doing quick touchups and even with the diamond rods its not the right tool for reprofiling or heavy damage repair.
 
20131122_150736_zps39e8696f.jpg


Make sure you include magnifying glass of some type.
 
HwangJino said:
20131122_150736_zps39e8696f.jpg


Make sure you include magnifying glass of some type.
Click to expand...

THIS is one of the best $7 i've spent on amazon in terms of sharpening equipment. definitely get yourself a lighted loupe.


PS the edgepro is awesome
PPS the washboard system from HeavyHanded is also awesome, and cheaper.
 
I'd get the diamond rods. It seems like a big investment compared to the cost of the original SharpMaker kit, but it's completely worth it as no sharpening set is complete with something coarse to reprofile. Once you get the technique down, you can easily reprofile a knife with the diamond rods.

[youtube]ywogvxTQGXk[/youtube]
 
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